The Hunger Games: Annie Cresta
by Daisyline
Summary: Annie is a well-known victor of the fishing District, District 4, but how was it such a fragile girl survived the games? Once reaped to go to the 70th Hunger Games, at the age of sixteen Annie had no choice but to go with it. With Finnick, Mags and her district partner, Garb, on her side, Will she have enough support as she participates in the vicious games to come?
1. Chapter 1

_**Part I:**_

**Before The Games**

Chapter 1

_No one can express paranoia or insanity without admitting they're out of their mind. No one can claim their insanity without admitting their losses. Their pain. Their fear._

_Fear has no reason to stand with insanity, though they must be closely related, for without fear, what would push us close to the edge? It only takes one occurrence, one instant to make you lose your mind._

Annie rose early that morning, the thoughts in her head peaceful and relaxing. Until she realised the reality of the day. It was reaping day.

It was a relief to her every year to live in District 4. It meant she always had just enough food to feed her family of four and therefore she had no need to sign up for Tessera. Her name was only in the bowl a total of five times, nothing compared to some others she knew. Although there wasn't much of a chance she'd get reaped, it wasn't impossible. She had hoped the odds were in her favour.

She got out of bed and tiptoed to the kitchen next door, making sure not to wake her sister, Amy.

She was only 11 years old, so there was absolutely no chance of her being picked at the reaping, which made Annie feel much better about the awful hours to come.

When she got to the kitchen, she noticed her mother was already up and out the front of the small house, watching as people scurried by.

She was whistling, something she didn't do often, only on the day of the Reaping.

She used to sing to Annie, back when she wasn't supposed to be tough or mature. She even sung on her first reaping to calm her nerves.

There were some songs her mother taught her that she could never repeat. They were illegal songs, banned by the president. Apparently, according to her mother, they were banned because they revealed too much information about the Capitol. Her mother understood the Capitol more than she did, so she never questioned this.

One of the songs that was made Illegal was called Safe. It was one of Annie's favorites as a child, until she found out it was about the dead tributes in the Hunger Games. But still, sometimes she would sing it to her sister when she would get nightmares as her mother once had done.

Annie's thoughts suddenly stopped as she heard her mother coughing. Coughing fits were something that her mother had rarely, though the doctor said that at any moment they could have become lethal.

The coughing stopped for a few seconds, before her mother ran in.

"Where's Amy?" she inquired frightfully, searching the small room for any sight of her. She guessed that meant her father was out.

"She's still in bed."

"Well, please wake her up. There's plenty of preparation we need to get through before the reaping at two. Also, your clothes are already set out for you in the bathroom." with that she walked back outdoors.

Annie slumped back into her room with a sigh.

She moved towards her sister and blew softly on her face. It was the only thing that would wake her in the morning, that was if she wasn't already awake.

"What's wrong?!" she shouted in panic.

"Nothing."

"Did I sleep in again?"

"Yeah."

She nodded and dangled her feet over the edge of the bed.

"What are you wearing today? Is it pretty?" her eyes shone with excitement as she said it.

"I don't know." Annie answered honestly, but with a grin. "I haven't seen it yet."

With that Amy jumped off the bed, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

"It's in the bathroom!"

She sprinted out, and headed for the tiny bathroom.

Annie walked after her, only to find Amy hovering over something on the bathtub.

"It's wonderful!" she exclaimed, holding it up.

Annie looked at it, admiring her mothers taste when it came to fashion. It was Ocean blue, reminding her of her home.

"It's so pretty!" Amy told her and she nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it is."

Without another exchange, Annie took it from Amy and tried it on. She looked in the cracked mirror on the wall, admiring the blue.

Amy squealed and ran outside, obviously going to find their mother.

Annie strolled out of the bathroom and into the kitchen.

Amy was pulling along her mother, who looked slightly confused.

They had made it halfway across the room before her mother started coughing. Annie ran up to her mother and sister, telling Amy to keep her in a sitting position.

Annie ran into the kitchen, and immediately put the kettle on the coals, adding a few different herbs to make the remedy which helped her mothers problems.

She poured the herbal water into a small cup, making her mother sip at it slowly until it was all gone.

For five minutes she sat there, but after that she was rushing around again.

"Annie, can you please do my hair?" Amy asked.

Annie agreed, grabbing a brush. She combed her long hair gently. After a while he begun to realise that she wouldn't be able to tame her sisters wild curls and instead just fixed it into a bun.

"Done." she said as her sister looked in the mirror.

"Thank you," she said, hugging Annie tightly.

"Should we be going?" Annie asked her mother.

"Just let me get your father." she answered and left leaving Annie and Amy wondering.

"It could be anyone." Amy stated, making Annie roll her eyes. She was well aware. "Hopefully it's not you."

Her second comment set butterflies off in Annie's stomach.

'I hope it's not me' she thought. 'But what if the odds aren't in my favor?'

"It won't be." she reassured.

Annie held Amy's hand on the way to the square. It made her feel more comfortable about what she may be going into.

The ceremony officially started when the Mayor of District 4 came on stage and gave his speech, the same as every other year.

The Capitol lady, Gracella Farwell came onto the stage straight afterwards. Her green wig seemed slightly out of place.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be EVER in your favour!" she said, as bubbly as usual.

"Ladies first!" she walked to the bowl to her left. She smoothed out the piece of paper which read the name of the first tribute.

"The Girl tribute for District four is... Annie Cresta!"

A/N: I'll make this short and quick. I will definitely be continuing this story, unlike my other story 'Only A Dream', which is on hiatus. I'll try to update once to three times a week, and if I don't, either assume my internet is fradazzled or I'm dead. Anyway, if you enjoyed it, hated it, or thought it was okay, leave your reviews. Seriously guys, it takes two seconds!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Silence hung solidly in the air whilst Annie stood, unsure of what had happened. Surely it wasn't her name being called out.

But it was.

The way that Gracella empashsed the S in Cresta in her Capitol accent somehow made it stick in her mind that it was her name being called. She hesitated for a few seconds, waiting for someone to volenteer. She wasn't a career. She had no desire to kill people. She shut her eyes tightly thinking of what must be going through people's minds at that point.

She opened them suddenly as the peace keepers pushed her forward towards her doom. She caught a glance at some of the girls who would have been more likely to volenteer. The smug look on their faces told her they weren't going to do it anytime soon, and that maybe, just maybe, it had been their plan to get her in the games.

Amy always told her stories from the market about the girls of the district, saying how they hated her because of how well she got along with Finnick. They had been friends for as long as she remembered. She found it difficult to believe that they could have been that jealous right up to that point.

She finally made it to the stage, where she then stood straight next to Gracella Farwell, her officalCapitol escort.

It was supposed to be an honor, standing on the stage. That was why people were clapping. But Annie's tongue felt like it had suddenly dried up in the harsh sun. It didn't feel like an honor.

"Anyone wish to volenteer for this young lady?" the question was followed by sorrowful silence, before Gracella turned toward the boys side.

"Alright then."

She put her delicate hand into the bowl, searching it as if to find the perfect tribute. The perfect person to kill.

She slipped a piece of paper between her fingers and slid the paper out with a swift motion.

She unhooked the paper before reading the contents.

"Garb Livingstone."

A round of applause once again erupted from the audience.

Annie knew him. Not overly well, but enough to know that she didn't want to watch him die.

She could tell he was thinking the same thing she was by his body language. The way he swung his body away and moved slightly, not hastily. She held her hand out to him, insisting that he took it, and when he did, she knew for sure that wasn't how it was supposed to be. They stood there the rest of the ceremony, holding hands as if it was the difference between life and death. And it surely would be. Eventually.

Gracella sighed deeply.

"Doesn't this sight just warm your heart?" she asked to the large group of children formed in front of her.

"Aren't they just lovely?" she looked away from the crowd and towards the mentors. "Don't you think, Finnick?"

Annie looked over as he nodded. She trusted Finnick, she really did, but she wasn't sure whether he would be able to keep her alive in the arena. And the look in his eyes told her he was thinking the exact same thing.

"Definitely two to look out for." he answered, putting on a grin.

Annie kept her face to the front, not wanting to make eye contact with him.

"Now, Mayor, if you please."

The Mayor of District 4 came forth and read out the Treaty of Treason, before ending the reaping ceremony with the Panem anthem.

As the anthem played, Annie looked out among the crowd. Not many people she knew looked back. She didn't know many people as she wasn't considered 'normal'. She wasn't considered a 'warrior'. Being reaped was one of her worst nightmares, whereas it would be a dream for any other.

The only face she recognized and really liked was her sister. She forced a smile up at Annie, nodding as if it would ensure her safety.

In a way, this made Annie feel a little better, like there was one person on her side. One person who thought that she might be able to get through it all.

Garb and Annie were ushered into the Justice Building, where they were to make their final goodbyes to friends and family.

As Garb let go of her hand, she had a sudden moments thought.

'Out of the two of us,' she thought, 'he would be the one to survive this.'

As she entered the room, it took her a moment to intake her surroundings. The first thing she did was sit down in a velvet armchair. Running her fingers over the soft material of the arm, she suddenly felt as if she had been abandoned. As if she had been tossed out by her parents, only to be taken in by the Capitol, where her death was ensured.

All the other furniture was also expensive and unique looking. Red and white and black were the colours that filled the room. And what a wonderful mix it was.

In her home, which was now going to be referred to as her old home, she only had wooden furniture, and maybe the occasional cushion. It consisted of only 3 rooms. The bedroom, where the whole family slept: her mother, father, sister and herself, the bathroom and the conjoined kitchen and living room. It wasn't much to get by with, though it was considered enough. The outside of the hut was made of wood, sturdy wood in case the tides of the oceans became too high and flooded the place.

Although where she was was exquisite, she would much rather the stars outside her window as she slept.

Suddenly the door burst open, revealing her sister. She seemed to have been crying. A lot.

Her mother and father followed, shedding no tears.

"You have two minutes." the peacekeeper then shut the door behind him.

Amy cried even more as she embraced Annie. Annie tried hard not to do the same. Her parents wouldn't approve what-so-ever. As said earlier, it was an honor.

"It's okay, Amy."

"No it isn't. I might not see you again." she wailed and begun to cry harder.

Her parents took a seat opposite her, stroking the furniture and it's soft texture.

Suddenly, her father's head snapped up.

"You are lucky to have Finnick as your mentor. He seems to know what he's doing." he said and turned to his wife. "Don't you think?"

"Yes," she answered. "It's a good things he's charismatic and a looker."

They let out a small laugh.

"Try not to disappoint us." her mother stated as she went in for a hug.

Amy moved out of her way, saying nothing.

Her father gave her a small kiss on the forehead followed by a tight hug.

Her sister was still sobbing once it was her turn to say goodbye.

"I promise I'll come back," Annie whispered into her hair. "I promise."

Before she knew it, her family was taken away. Once and forever.

She could hear Amy's screams as the peacekeepers dragged her away. She didn't want to go. She knew just as much as Annie, she could never make it. She probably won't make it out of the bloodbath alive.

Annie waited to see if anyone else would visit, but as she had suspected, no one else made the effort.

She had no sweetheart, no real best friends, and the only family friend she had was Finnick, and he was her mentor.

She stood and left the room, preparing to travel to the all famous Capitol.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Annie stumbled through the train, a little disorientated by the speed. Each step felt like it was her first.

Gracella had announced that she and Garb had free time, as long as they were at dinner on time.

Annie had decided to go straight to her room. It was unnecessarily big, and it would've seemed impossible to fit on the train if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.

She walked into the bathroom, turning the shower on. Hot water ran out of it and trickled down her back. It felt odd considering District 4 only had hot water available on special occasions.

So instead she turned on the cold water and sat under it, thinking.

She didn't need a shower, she had had one that morning, though she needed reminding of home. Maybe if she remembered home, remembered the oceans and the shells and the fish. Maybe if she remembered Amy, she might be able to fight. But what was the point of fighting, killing, if you have to live with it for the rest of your life? There wasn't really a point.

There had been many rumors going around about the arena, how it does things to your head. In a way, forces you to kill. The only people who really knew were the victors, but none of them were willing to share their insight of the arena.

Too many thoughts ran through Annie's head at once. They went in and out before she could analyze them and eventually, she had had enough of her own thoughts. She stood and dried herself off, getting ready for dinner.

The table was full by the time she made it to the dining room. She wasn't quite late, she had two minutes to spare, though apparently they had been waiting for her.

She took a seat in the only spot left, next to Garb, who was already in the food. He wasn't stuffing his face, like most people would think you Would do if you came in the presence of Capitol food. It wasn't like food was scarce in District 4, only it still wasn't as good as the Capitol's.

There were platefuls of food to choose from. One after the other they lined up along the table all looking delightful and delicious.

"Don't hesitate to eat what you like. You need to put on as much weight as you can. Being heavier and stronger may be just the advantage you need against the other tributes." Finnick said, as if reading her mind.

"What's the use?" she answered flatly. There was no use sugar coating anything by that point. "I'm not strong or a good fighter. The only things I can do are make hooks and catch fish."

"Every skill is important," he grinned, as if it was all a joke. Annie didn't like it. "But everyone needs to know their weapon. Isn't that right Mags?"

He looked over at the elderly woman who nodded as she took a sip from her bowl of soup.

"For instance mine is a trident."

"I still have no chance even if I did have a weapon of choice,"

"You have a 1/24 chance of winning."

"The same as everybody else." Mags was the one who spoke up. She hardly talked, if ever, and it was odd listening to her small but hard voice.

The last comment left Annie with nothing to say. She had no comeback.

"Ah, Mags. She hardly ever talks, though when she does, you better be listening." Finnick smiled down at Mags who tugged at the lobe of his ear with a loving familiarity.

As Annie watched, she noticed the one thing that victors could ever find solace in. Eachother. No one else would understand what they had been through, what they had seen and heard. They knew all of the Capitols secrets, and death upon treason couldn't fall upon them. But it could fall upon the people they loved.

"Well there must be something we can work with. Mags has decided that she wants us to split up this year. She has already volunteered to mentor Garb, so I guess I'll be working with Annie." he sent her a flashy smile, though Annie was hardly impressed.

"You should just bother with Garb. He's good with everything from knives to tridents."

And it was true. She had seen him use those exact weapons as spear to capture fish for his father.

"Well, may-" Finnick was cut off as Garb started to talk.

"Don't I get a say, too? I'm not the only one worth paying attention to. Have you seen Annie swim? She can hold her breath for so long, you would've believed that she'd drown. And she 's fast, too. I remember playing chasy when we were younger in the school yard. She was almost impossible to catch."

"Well that's not going to do me a lot."

He couldn't see that she was trying to keep him alive. She was trying to divert the sponsors and the mentors. She was trying to keep at least one of them alive.

"You never know what kind of arena you may end up with. It may include some swimming."

"I'm highly doubtful."

"Well at least with those skills the career pack may not try to kill you so quickly." You could see Finnick was starting to get frustrated. His eyebrows furrowed in a way that could only mean frustration.

"I don't want any allies in the arena. Only Annie." Garb stated.

"Strategically speaking, allies may be a good idea." It was obvious to Annie that what she said needed more of an elaboration. "Just wait until you see what you're up against before making these decisions."

"Says the girl who's been complaining all day about not being able to survive." he retorted.

"We're talking about skills at this point," Finnick interrupted. "Maybe if we find some skills to help you before you head into the arena. Maybe try to find some sponsors."

Annie and Garb both sit silently, unsure of what to say. Unsure on whether or not they even wanted to continue the already frustrating conversation.

"Oh look at that, it's time to watch the reapings." Gracella put in sensing the frustration.

Annie pushed out her chair and walked to the television, where the President was announcing the reapings.

First came District 1, as per usual.

"Ladies first!" the purple Madam Lyre announced and chose a name from the bundles of slips.

"Amphine Silver!" she called and a girl with long honey blonde hair came to the stage. She looked around the same age as Annie but had more of a build to her.

She took a bow before sitting on a chair next to her mentors.

They then called out the boys name.

"Dale Seal!"

A small boy around 12 headed to stage though as he climbed the stairs somebody from the crowd volunteered.

A tall fierce figure walked towards the stage.

Danny Tail was his name. And so far he was looked most threatening.

"Our two tributes from District one!" Madam announced and the crowd went wild.

2, then 3 came before Annie's reaping. Watching herself on the screen, she realised how small and frightened she looked compared to the others. Anyone watching it would straight away notice how much of an easy target she would be.

Never mind what Finnick had said, she had a lot to worry about.

The rest went by in a blur and once it was all over, Mags turned the screen off.

"At least we know what we're up against." Garb said, leaning backwards against the head of the sofa.

"Not entirely." Annie said, not really paying attention.

"Mostly."

The room went silent before Finnick let out a long sigh.

"Alright, off to your rooms."

They both left as they were told and head down the corridor.

No verbal exchange was made, though looks were definitely a form of contact.

With one last sympathetic look from Garb, Annie rushed off towards her room, hoping that maybe the whole day was just a nightmare and that as soon as she laid her head on the pillow she would awake.

No such luck.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The ride to the Capitol hadn't lasted exactly as long as Annie had hoped. In a way she wished it had lasted forever, but of course it couldn't have.

Sooner or later she had to accept her fate, and that time may have been closer than she thought.

As the train pulled to a halt, she noticed plenty of people were standing outside waiting for District 4 to arrive. Maybe they did like the look of them. Maybe they did think they made a good team. But of course she forgot one thing. The most important of all things. Finnick Odair was her mentor. As she slid out of the train, the chanting got louder.

"Finnick! Finnick!" they screamed. Some of the woman fainted as he stepped of the train and onto the platform. He flashed a smile at the camera, but continued walking.

Annie didn't see how it wasn't obvious that his personality was all an act. But then again, the Capitol would believe anything, hence why they believed the Hunger Games was a good idea.

Being pushed through the crowds of people trying to get to Finnick was brutalizing. It made her feel like she was on a mission and that was her hardship. Her mission was to get out alive.

He gave small winks to the cameras every now and then and waved at the crowds of people.

Annie and Garb walked behind him, acting invisible. If having him as their mentor meant sponsors then by all means they should let him do his thing.

And he seemed to be enjoying it, too. It seemed like he was eating off of his own plate.

But it wasn't until Annie realised that it all made sense. Maybe they should steal Finnick's time on screen. There hasn't been a single District4 victor since him. Was it because of how famous he was? It made sense. The tributes not getting enough screen time would be a major set back.

Suddenly she begun to feel irritated with Finnick. Did he want to get them killed? She wasn't sure but the longer his face was on that screen, the more irritated she got.

"Trust me, it will help a lot." was all Mags said. Annie understood what she meant, but it still was on her nerve.

As they entered the Remake Center, Annie started to feel a little guilty about her annoyance with Finnick. He was doing his job, and he must have thought he was doing it for their well-being. He had no other reason to become a mentor, anyway.

Annie was suddenly separated from the rest of her team as she was ushered into a white room with bright lights.

Finnick had told her it was only a 'fix up'. She was unsure by what he had meant, though she had a feeling that it was supposed to make you look good for the cameras.

She changed into a thin white robe and took a seat on the bed in the middle of the room.

Suddenly, the doors bursted open and two Capitol people entered. Annie straight away guessed them to be her prep team.

The woman, also known as Talia, had long blue lashes that looked like thin twigs coming off her face. Her eyebrows, hair and lips all were the same colour, though her hair was also decorated in fake birds as if it were meant to represent the sky.

The man, Mack, had mixes of green and sliver hairs all over the top of his head.

His face was concealed in silver tattoos that traced out delicate patterns and defined his features.

After introducing themselves, they got straight to work. Waxing legs, arms, any unwanted hair was gone. They applied mountains worth of make up, trying to hide some slightly visible scars which Annie received from years of swimming in the corals. Her hair was washed and styled, though by the time they had finished with her, her body felt like it was burning and heavy.

Talia and Mack gossiped the whole time, talking dirty of others, swapping information about rumors and such. One person they mentioned several times was Annie's stylist, Julius. She had guessed they didn't like him much, from what they were saying. He had too harsh a judgement, apparently.

Looking in the mirror, Annie didn't notice much difference at that point. So much effort went into making her look good yet the only difference was how old she looked. And even then, she only looked maybe two to three years older, not enough to make a major impact.

Talia and Mack stood a few feet away, their faces grave. Their usual bubbly selfs had been lost in some sort of despair.

"Time for you to meet your stylist, Julius."

Over the years, Annie had heard plenty about Julius. He was very well known for his line of 'outrageous' clothes in the Capitol, though to Annie and the rest of District 4, he was known for his styling in the games. Other than this, he was also known for his passion for fashion. And a passion he had.

He was quite a stick of a man. He had pure white hair, though his bright pink skin made up for the lack of colours. He paced slowly around her, inspecting every inch of her body in sight, making sure the alterations made were just right. Her hair had been made longer, thicker, too, and had big lucious curls flowing through it. The fake eyelashes added to her originals felt like they could possibly weigh her eyelids down forever.

He let out a long desperate sigh.

"How long I've been waiting for someone who looks like you. But if only I had more to work with," he walked a few more paces. "You looked better on television."

His last comment made it official. He was harder to talk to than he was to look at. Suddenly he clapped his hands together, signaling the start of work.

He painted Annie's skin a pale green, not permanently, but it was still odd. She looked down at her legs and arms, inspecting the change of tints. It wasn't an intimidating green, but a nice light shade only barely noticeable.

A few delicate red designs were imbedded on her face and arms, making her feel as if she were being made into a fish.

As she was handed the costume from Julius, he gave her crude, but specific instructions.

"Do try the dress on, though try hard not to rip it. I need to know what I'm working with," he looked her up and down before turning away. He called over his shoulder. "I'll be in the sitting room once you're done"

She took the dress and silently found her way into the changing Rooms.

The top of the dress had a v neck with a tall collar at the back. It was green, almost matching the colour of her skin, though a little darker.

The bottom of it was a rich red, the same as the patterns in her face. It was long, so long it was touching the floor. The red coral design rimmed the bottom of the dress. It was both lightweight and looked nice, which was a bonus for Annie.

Admiring Julius's work in the mirror, she suddenly realised where she was supposed to be.

She rushed to the sitting room, spinning a few times for Julius once she arrived.

"Wonderful, dear." he said patting the spot next to him, as if to say 'sit'. "Just a few alterations and it will be absolutely priceless."

After dinner, Annie left for the tributes parade. She assembled into the stables, where all the other tributes in just moments would be lining up too.

She found chariot 4, which was decorated in bright red corals and green seaweed. It had suddenly occurred to her that the stylists had decided on a theme. And it was a lovely theme.

She was positioned herself in the chariot just before she saw Finnick rush over.

"Garb is on his way." he said, flashing a smile.

Annie furrowed her eyebrows.

"And why is this news important to me?"

"Well, I wanted to see both your costumes before anyone else."

She nodded, not entirely certain.

"Okay."

"Oh, and Julius wanted me to give you this. He forgot to give it to you before."

He handed her a red metallic bracelet.

"It's lovely."

"Isn't it?" he said rubbing his jaw. "Well, good luck! You look great, Annie."

"Thank you." she whispered as he ran off towards the cameras, maybe to actually do mentor duties this time.

As he exited, Garb entered, looking slightly glum and grumpy.

He stood up in the chariot next to her, taking a quick glance at what she was wearing.

"You look like a mermaid," he said, looking forward once more.

And he was right. Annie hadn't noticed it but she was dressed like a mermaid. That was why the dress was so long.

She looked at Garb and his costume. He had the same red markings on his face and arms. His chest was bare, and also had the red imbedded in it.

He wore a slightly revealing skirt which was green and resembled seaweed. The waist line had red chunks of coral wrapped around it.

His arm also held the bracelet Finnick had brought to her not even a minute before.

"Ready?" she asked lightly.

"When will I ever be ready for what's to come?" he asked sourly.

Suddenly the trumpets sounded and the chariot launched forward.

"Whether you're ready or not, We're heading there anyway."

District 1 appeared on the large screen first. The crowd of Capitol people went crazy, watching in bedazzlement as Amphine and Danny waved delightfully.

Before she knew it, Annie's face was on the screen. The red decorations on her face seemed to pop out at her, but they contrasted well against her green skin. Luckily for her, her sudden fear was masked by the make up and her shaking hands were gripping to tightly to the chariot to be noticed.

It felt funny hearing her and Garb's name being chanted by the crowds. Obviously they had made more of an impact than she had thought.

The bright lights and screaming people made Annie feel lost. She didn't feel like she was meant to be there. In the Capitol, that was.

She stopped looking at the screen as they pulled up in the Centre Circle.

President Snow appeared, muttering a welcoming speech to the tributes.

Goosebumps formed on Annie's arms and legs. She felt there was a certain discomfort in the air as he spoke. The look on Garb's face told her so, as did all the other tributes. At least she wasn't alone in her fear.

As the ceremony closed, the anthem played. They headed back to the Training Center where they met up with their stylists.

"Great job, Annie." Talia and Mack congratulated.

She felt like hadn't done anything but stand, though they seemed to think otherwise.

She even got a small nod of appreciation from Julius before being lightly pushed into the elevator by Gracella.

Whatever for, she may have never known.


End file.
